JFlah's Blunders

AI Narrated Audio Books Coming!

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 01:52:00 +0000

I'm so excited to share that I'm fast working towards having AI narrated books available for those of you who prefer to listen to books. They will be available through Google Play to begin with. I haven't decided where else I'll be making them available.

Here's the first one.

Books one and two will be available starting January 31, 2023.

Sculpture: Man's Face and a Hand

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 23:20:00 +0000

I've been watching a lot of Ace of Clay on Youtube recently and really wanted to try some of his techniques but I wasn't at home that day. Dad has some super soft stanky clay that he uses to work out some of his carvings and so I got into that this week. Maybe it's time to pull out my sculpture stuff again. Really do miss it - I enjoy that more than I do writing or drawing or... probably even eating LOL

Anyway... this clay was really soft stuff and it was hard to keep from smashing it or doing any real detail work - I mean, look at those ears HA!

Graphic Design: Sometimes You've Gotta Pivot

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 01:42:00 +0000

Just got the new mini-series info this morning and after a short discussion with the guys, we settled on 'The Bible Says...' as the series title and that the message topics would be revealed in some kind of blank each week.

One of them mentioned it could be like Family Feud but when I looked up those graphics, I didn't see how that would work, but I liked the simplicity of the Jeopardy board. I went looking for some fonts [that I didn't use LOL] and put something together but it was a flop - just one look and you'll be able to tell me why...

Yep - although it was eye catching - it wasn't the message we're trying to get across so I ran in a different direction and ended up with this for the first message in the series... Now my talented co-worker will get to do a bumper but I might do one too.

Drawing - Sketch Dump - male faces

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Wed, 04 May 2022 01:00:00 +0000

Click for reference by Mike McCarthy

Click for reference by Efrain Malo

Click here for reference by ".mb. 2018"

Writing: Lena - Chapter 2

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 00:30:00 +0000

So - thought I'd post the second chapter of Lena's story too. Let me know if you're enjoying it?

Could possibly release the first installment of this 2 novella story before the end of May. With this story, I feel like I'm flopping around outside of my comfort zone and although it's uncomfortable, I'm assuming these are 'good' growing pains especially since the gospel is a bit more central than in the last story I put out there.

.2.
Picked Up

Just before sunrise, clouds lumbered off to the northwest. I shivered in my damp clothing and stepped onto the glistening onyx ribbon of road to consider my options: one, follow it to civilization and risk running into Ted or his crew, or two, risk a slow death by turning from the road into the dehydrating desert.
I couldn’t tell how far I was from where I had started, and didn’t want to risk meeting anyone along the road once the sun had fully risen, but before I had made a conscious choice, I heard the gravelly clicking roar of jake breaks as an 18-wheeler slowed and stopped in the twilight behind me. Someone dropped from its cab to the pavement – a vague dark silhouette against the smudgy horizon. My foot took a sliding step away.
“What’re you doing out here? Car die?” He stood in a ring of light that beamed from the open door onto the concrete. The diesel engine waited, purring like a monstrous content feline. “You alright?”
I turned and sprinted from the road, but in my haste, tripped. Letting out a shrill cry, I curled onto my side, cradling my elbow. I could hear the truck driver calling after me, could hear his rushed footsteps nearing. I strangled a moan and tried to get back up, but by then he was close enough that I could make out his facial features. The concern that etched his brow gave me pause so I stilled.
He pulled up beside me, bent at the waist, his hands on his knees, hanging his head while he panted. Putting out a hand, he said, “Wait. There’s nothing but desert that way.” His breathing calmed some. He straightened, humor crinkling at the outsides of his eyes. “I don’t move as fast as I used to,” he said and patted his stomach. “Come now, where’re ya goin’?”
I didn’t want to cause this man grief. If Ted found me, this man would not be spared, but as my eyes scanned my sparse surroundings, I didn’t see a better option.
“You hurt?” He knelt and reached for my arm but his fingers stilled at the sight of blood and my angry red skin. “Oh – wow. Might need to get that looked at.”
Panic again surged through me. I couldn’t go to a hospital – I’d had enough medical procedures to last four lifetimes. They’d never understand. I’d become a circus act or something they kept in a cage, studied in the name of science and then curiously dissected after they got bored with my silence.
When I cringed at his attempt to help me up, the man straightened and held out his arm as if to show the way back to his truck. “I don’t like doctors much either. I’ve a first aid kit in the cab.”
“I’m fine. You should go.”
He stilled. “Miss? Miss, you don’t look fine and when the sun really gets ta shining, you won’t be fine out here.”
I studied the lemon light of dawn then settled on him. Wide strong shoulders that made him look shorter than he likely was, youngish, big hands and a face not unpleasant but not handsome. A few days beard growth on caramel colored skin. A tad on the heavy side. I cut my eyes at him.
He must’ve been considering what I was seeing because he smoothed his wayward hair and offered me a smile.
“I’m not a safe companion.” I grimaced, hearing how I’d been unable to keep a tremor from my voice.
“But you need help. Don’t make me leave you here. I can call someone for you.” A soft look in his eyes made me almost trust him. “I’m not accustomed to leaving damsels out in the desert. It goes against my grain.”
“Really – I’m fine.” I got up, dusted my seat off but took a quick step from him when he neared.
He lifted empty palms. “Wait – don’t run.”
“You don’t understand. I may get you killed. Leave me here. I’ll manage.”
His forward movement stalled and he tilted his head at me. “I’m for sure not leaving you now. Come on. At least let me help with that gash.”
He eyed me for a second longer then nodded as though making a decision and turned from me. He took a few slow steps towards the noisy truck. As if he believed me a flight risk, he half turned to assure himself I was following like he would have with a hungry puppy that is fighting between its instincts and the gnawing pain in its stomach.
While the wound still seeped through my fingers, I followed, but at a distance like that distrustful puppy, a lightheaded feeling ballooning my caution.
Disappearing into the truck cab, he reappeared only moments later with a red plastic first aid kit in a large hand. When he dropped to the ground from the high step, his eyes moved about and found me sitting on a little flat rock about fifty feet from the truck. When he placed the kit beside me on the rock, he snapped it open while he said, “I’m Nate, by the way.”
I stared at his tanned hands as they began pulling out what would be needed. The fingers stilled. I lifted my eyes to his face to see his widen. I looked behind me and seeing blurry figures there, I lurched to my feet. Black spots crowded out my vision and in a stomach-flipping moment, I realized I was falling.

•

Oranges. The smell brightened my face. My oldest sister had hidden a basket of them in a little beach house. For my coming of age day, she snuck me onto shore and into that cute little place. Dad had churned the sea more than once in response to Daniella’s rebellious spirit but she was my idol – exactly who I wanted to be. While Dad searched for us, we were in that cozy place with sticky goodness dripping from our chins while we giggled and talked. My mind drifted and then sharpened. Where was I?
The smell permeated my nostrils but was mixed with a myriad of others, not all recognizable. The noises weren’t familiar either. My eyes opened.
Light pierced into the small space past a dark curtain to reveal neatly stacked goods resting on shelves behind netting above faux wood cabinets. I sat up. Pushing away the striped comforter, I put feet to the vibrating floor.
A low tinny voice crackled, saying something about a parking-lot ahead. Then I heard someone drinking and a painful thirst pushed me to the edge of the curtain.
With only momentary hesitation, I slipped through the opening. A vaguely familiar man occupied the seat before a massive wheel. He glanced quickly aside at me, smiled a greeting and said, “Afternoon.” He gestured towards the passenger seat then his attention returned to the road. When I sat, he said, “Glad to see you awake. Wasn’t sure if I should start getting worried.”
My swollen fingers managed with the seat belt.
One of his hands left the wheel and opened a yellow cooler that rested on the floor. Foggy wisps like dry ice escaped when he pulled out a large bottle of water and offered it to me. “How’s the arm?”
Thirst scratched my throat, but I clutched the water with both hands and turned my eyes to the road. “Fine. Thank you.” The bottle beaded with condensation that dripped onto my raw skin. I jerked when it burned me and it jumped from my hands onto the floorboards.
“You alright?”
I retrieved it from the floor with my sleeve. “Yes.” But I felt rising panic. Who was this man? Did he save me from my captor or had those figures been someone else?
The CB sputtered in what sounded like a foreign language and I stared at it.
He noticed my bewilderment, reached up and twisted a knob, effectively silencing the voices. He glanced to the bottle I hadn’t opened then to my face before returning his attention to traffic. “Want something else? I’ve got orange soda or some blue sports drink if you’d prefer.” His hand waved to indicate the cooler. “Help yourself.”
“Do you have any salt?”
“Salt?” His brow wrinkled then he shrugged. “I think so. It’d be in the pantry.” He jerked a thumb back across a shoulder. “Second cabinet on the left.”
I slipped back through the curtain with the precious bottle of water. Finding a small container of salt behind other spices in the cabinet, I sighed with relief. Pouring half of it into the water, I returned it to the pantry. I would’ve liked to put more in, but didn’t want to use all he had if I had just traded a stationary prison for a moving one.
Re-capping the water, I shook it, hoping the salt would dissolve fast, and returned to the seat. Peering at him from the corner of an eye to be sure he wasn’t watching and clinching my teeth in anticipation of pain, I stuck my pinky finger into the liquid before trusting it enough to my tender lips. My shoulders relaxed when it didn’t sting. In a quick impatient movement, I lifted the bottle and took great gulps of the life-giving saltwater.
“Gracious girl! Slow down. How long’s it been since you had anythin’ to drink?”
Ignoring the question, I continued pulling at the bottle until the last drop. Rejuvenating power pulsed through my body. Waves of warmth soothed my singed skin, knit the wound on my arm.
“Dang!”
I could feel him staring, but closed my eyes until the waves of healing lessened.
The truck went over a rumble strip and then again as it returned to the road.
“Uh, what just happened?”
I wasn’t sure how much to say. How much did he need to know and how much would put him at risk? As a species we had been among humans for thousands of years, but we generally kept a low profile. Turning an appraising look on him, I knew I didn’t want to put him in danger if I didn’t have to, but he might need to know what he was likely to come up against. He’d been kind to me and wouldn’t deserve the sort of cruelty that my captor would bring upon him if it was found out.
“What do you mean?”
Scoffing, he said, “Yeah, right – like you didn’t… Um, ok.” He pressed himself back in his seat and stared out at the road.
For at least a half hour afterwards, only engine and road sounds filled the truck cab while it barreled down the flat highway. With relief, I could feel the pull of the tide a bit stronger than before and it helped to settle some nerves knowing we were moving towards the coast.
I felt him glance aside at me a few times and then his shoulders relaxed and he chuckled. “We’re about to come to a rest station. You want to call someone to come pick you up? I’m on a schedule, but can drop you somewhere if you want. Might could ride by a police station if you’re in some kind of trouble.”
My hands knotted in my lap. “Where are you going?”
“Gotta drop my load at the port and bobtail back before Thursday.”
With arms wrapped around myself, I considered options: ride with this man to the coast and perhaps into the waiting arms of Ted, who surely knew I’d go straight to the water as quickly as I could – or stop at the rest station and start walking again. The later would be safer for Nate but…
“Back where?”
He sent me a quick side glance then said, “Alexandria.”
An exit sign blurred past; engine breaks vibrated the seat. I squeezed my fingers tighter together while he deftly navigated the exit ramp and parked. Without turning the rig off, he opened his door but before slipping from his seat, he paused to look over at me. “It’s a long haul back to Louisiana, but you could ride along if you want.”
When I nodded, he offered me a smile then dropped out of the cab. His disembodied voice drifted above the engine and highway noises. “You comin’?”
When I didn’t answer right away, I felt the cab rock as he gained the step so he could see me over the driver’s seat. It had been years since I’d been around anything remotely like a crowd and I could see people everywhere. Was Ted among them?
“I won’t be able to stop for a restroom again for several hours.”
My hands strangled the seatbelt while I watched a man with sandy hair and darkly tanned skin walk across the decorative gravel near the building.
Nate glanced at the stucco building then back at me. “Ok. I get it. Can I grab you anything? They have snack machines and probably hot coffee, though I can’t vouch for the quality of that.”
I closed my eyes and took a calming breath. “Coffee sounds nice. Um, do you have a hat and maybe a jacket I could use?”
He climbed one more step and pointed. “Sure. Back there. No jacket, but there might be a long sleeve in the duffel. Hat’s probably hangin’ up somewhere.”
I found the shirt quickly and slipped it on. The hat I found poking out from under a stack of books with titles like Indoor Gardening and A History of Ancient Egypt. The black ball cap had a yellow fleur de lis on it and sweat stains around the brim, but I shoved my hair into it and twisted it down onto my head. A tight fit with all of my hair in there – maybe I should’ve let it hang out the back, but this would work.
“Good?” he called.
I emerged from the back. “I think so. Thank you.” I got out and squared my shoulders. I can do this. They probably won’t even notice me. An arid breeze tickled my neck with stray hairs that refused to hide while I tentatively followed Nate. No one seemed the least bit interested in me but I kept my eyes averted all the same.
He stopped abruptly once we were in the shaded walkway on the side of the building. In a low voice he said, “Sweetie, women’s is that way.” He lifted a subtle finger. “Meet me back at the truck in a bit?”
That’s when I realized I’d been about to follow him into the men’s room. Nodding, I backed a few steps then looked around. Women loitered with kids, friends, men. Two little boys and a toddler were running through the decorative gravel area near a raised flower bed that sported some prickly pear and other such plants. Someone put change into a vending machine. No one seemed nervous. Surely I was over reacting. Ted wouldn’t have stopped here. He would know my desire to get home as fast as I could. To get to my father. No. He’d be waiting for me at the coast but he couldn’t know where I would try to get into the water.
Avoiding as many people as I could, I hurried in and out of the restroom, and then seeing Nate entering the main building, I went back to the truck. The shade was nice on the passenger side of the truck but I felt like I was smothering in the heat so I took off Nate’s shirt and carefully hung it on the top most lug nut of the tall front wheel. The cap pressed against my already aching head so I pulled that off too and let my tangled hair fall wild down my back.
“Excuse me?”
I looked around. Was someone talking to me?
“Young lady?” A smiling gray-haired woman waved a hand at me from beside a blue mini-van.
Stiffly, I lifted my palm.
“Would you help me? This is so embarrassing but I’ve dropped my phone somewhere in here and I can’t find it.”
I swallowed trepidation and walked across the blazing pavement.
“I had it in a pocket earlier so I’m hoping it’s somewhere around my seat and not at the last convenience station we stopped at.”
Looking where she indicated, I moved aside a few books and a tube of lipstick. After several minutes, I found it embedded between the seatbelt reservoir and the side of the seat. It was tight, but my hand just fit into the space.
When I drew it out, the woman clasped her hands together in a kind of relieved happiness. “Thank you! Oh, thank you.”
She accepted the phone from me but when I turned to go back to Nate’s truck, she whispered, “Are you in some kind of trouble?”
My breathing hitched and my eyes riveted to her face.
“If you need some help, me and my husband are going to Los Angeles but can take you somewhere safe if you need a ride.”
“Thank you, but I am alright.”
“Sweetie, you look terrified of something. Isn’t there anything I can do to help you?”
I took a step back. “Really. I’m fine.”
“I saw him coax you out of that truck earlier. I want you to know that I won’t judge you if you’re in a tight spot. I’ve seen my share of those in my life and have done things I’m not proud of too.” She closed the space between us and grasped my hand. “How about I at least give you something to eat?”
She pulled me around to the back of her van and lifted the hatch. “We’ve got lots of snacks.” She laughed at herself. “My husband says I always pack too much, but doesn’t complain while he’s eating his Little Debbies.”
Although I was hungry, I wasn’t sure if I could eat with nerves constantly turning my stomach, but her kindness warmed me so I thanked her and accepted a bottle of water and a bag of salty chips.
“Wait. One more thing,” she said, reaching into a pocket. “My number is on the back of this. If you change your mind, please call.”
I accepted the glossy pamphlet, folded it and pressed it into a pocket, and was about to say something when the woman’s face lit up and she called out, “Ted. Ted, this sweet young woman helped me find my phone!”
My heart dropped. Twirling around, I saw an unfamiliar man nearing us and though I knew he wasn’t the person who had imprisoned me for so long, my chest squeezed. My foot slid back, almost without me telling it to. I sprinted to Nate’s truck and clambered up the steps. My fingers slipped on the door handle and I nearly fell but balanced, opened the door, and got into the cab all the while trying not to hyperventilate. Once the door was closed and I was inside the purring monster of a truck, I started to calm a little, but then the cab rocked and the other door opened. I hopped up and pressed myself against the far side of the cab.
“So, the coffee isn’t all that great. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s at least two days…” Nate’s comments trailed off as his head appeared above the drivers seat. “Are you ok? What happened?”
Panic still pulsed through my veins and spots crowded my vision. Was I ok? No. Not ok. Never ok again.
Nate’s door was still open and I heard the woman’s concerned voice behind him. His attention momentarily turned to her and I heard him say something but I couldn’t process the syllables enough to understand.
He placed a coffee cup onto the dash and then leaned out of the cab returning with his cap and shirt, the bag of chips and the bottle of water. Nate thanked her and after a few other exchanges he closed his door. Placing everything aside, he looked at me for a few quiet moments before asking, “What can I do?”
My shaky knees dropped me back into the seat and I covered my face, still trying to slow my breathing. How did I think I could do this? Home. I had to get home. My family would protect me and after they found out how Ted had treated me they’d banish him and I’d truly be safe again. Or they’d banish me for going with him in the first place.
I closed my eyes, focused, and breathed out for as long as I could, held it and then let air rush into my lungs. I did this three more times and then calm started to come back. When I finally dropped my hands, I found Nate turned towards me in his seat, his forearms on his thighs, his hands clasped, his head bowed.
“I’m sorry.”
His head bobbed up. “For what?”
“I…”
“It’s ok. I know you’re having a rough time. I just don’t know how to help.”
“You’re doing it.”
He smiled at me and I felt myself half-mirror it.
After a beat, he took a deep breath and said, “Well, that was a nice lady.”
I agreed while we strapped in and he began to move the rig again. He didn’t speak while he navigated the long merge lane but once he had maneuvered into traffic and brought the truck up to speed, he casually said, “So, wanna share those chips?”

So - are you still with me? What do you think about the story so far? Are you wanting to continue reading?

Doodles in Procreate

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 01:33:00 +0000

Have really enjoyed doodling in Procreate. There are so many brushes that are already great and so many ways to refine those brushes in ways that I want - yep, more fun than Photoshop as far as that goes. Procreate can never replace pencils, paint and paper for me because there's something amazing and therapeutic about the tactile use of those, but I can work on color theory, values, and brushstroke placements in Procreate without making as much of a mess as I would with traditional media. That and I LOVE the undo function. I find myself wishing for an undo button when I physically draw on paper...

I'm really no good at working painterly in digital yet but am loving the process - this is my version of "Tempest" by John Larriva

And this one is my version of Eilidh's "Passage" - Could definitely use more work, but it definitely has the same 'feel' for me as the original.

Environment Design Mockups: Mpact Worship Area

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 23:41:00 +0000

Started working on this while things were quiet around here in 2020 and the minister wanted to revisit the design and update it, get some quotes, etc. Boss brought me some sketches [he's talented and plenty creative himself] and talked through changes to the previous design. Was fun to work on and I hope the project gets approved and that I get to put on my painting apron sometime this summer.

This place is chock full of stuff - took a while to clean up the photos and then put the designs on the walls.

Rough photoshop mockups

Door wall and left of stage wall

Main Stage

Right of stage and then the wall at right of stage, perpendicular to previous

Media booth at back of room and back wall

Here are the illustrator mockups for the design - idea would be to paint the bulk of this ourselves and then get some printed vinyl for the text

wall at left of stage - door wall

Left of stage - books of Bible would be printed vinyl

Center stage - congregated metal/paint with 3D sentra/vinyl sign on top

Right of stage to corner - text circle bit would be printed vinyl

Right of stage - perpendicular side wall - text would be cut vinyl

Sketch Dump - figurative

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 01:14:00 +0000

For a while now Valerie's figurative sculptures have been on my radar - love the hair and the long limbs of her pieces - the lithe poses. Lots of fun to look at and draw.

Here's another from Valerie's studio.

And a few bonus sketches - from images I found on Pinterest.

Writing: a little urban fantasy novella

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 00:30:00 +0000

Now that Curse of Royalty is FINALLY published, I've pulled out a strange urban fantasy novella I wrote as an exercise while I was stuck at home in 2020. It's in a very different writing style than what I used for the curse series - a much needed change. I got to explore a few ideas I'd been mulling over and present the gospel in a way that was different than I did in the curse series. Still playing around with what title to use but the story has an interesting twist and end, but it's a little open ended. Was also thinking I might narrate it since it's kind of short - maybe 4 hours long.

Anyway, for those of you who are interested, here is the intro chapter.

Will be working on getting this one brushed up enough to publish. I'm super close - might even be able to release in time for summer reads.

.1.
Escape

A thousand angry ants stung me while I ran from him. Hair whipped me in the wind, sloppy rain-soaked ropes that stuck at odd angles, sometimes partially obstructing my vision, but I pushed on without wiping them aside. I couldn’t afford even minor distractions.

Ted would die if he followed me and he knew it as well as I did, but that didn’t stop him from bellowing at me from the covered stoop like a guard dog.

Interminable years had passed while I sought an opportunity to escape. It had been no simple task, since desert rains even in the monsoon season rarely lasted long enough that I thought I had even a drip of a chance. Without a prolonged downpour I had no hope of putting any kind of distance between us before he could track me. And by then he’d be furious.

Tonight, his crew was off on some errand or other and when I heard him groan a comment about how he thought the desert wouldn’t get so much rain, I listened carefully, hoping to catch enough of the forecaster’s report before he stabbed the remote to change the channel.

My legs burned but I pushed myself farther into the bowels of the growling storm. Lightning struck a rod atop one of the tall buildings that glimmered on the distant horizon, but I leaned into each stride – a mantra, “Come on! One more step! And another!” filled my head leaving no room for fear of the bright fingers of light or even of the creature I was finally leaving behind.

I stumbled just as another bolt flashed white-hot across the flat land. I had to get to the coast, any coast, or I’d end up back where I started and I was certain he’d take more precautions then. Especially since up until a few months ago, he had only just started to let me out of my secured room for short amounts of time.

No! I would never go back. He’d have to kill me.

A boulder snagged the toe of my tennis shoe throwing me forward. I skittered across the surface of that wide rock and off into the sandy mud on the other side. My tender palms stung with abrasions but they were secondary to the sting of the fresh acid rain that needled almost every inch of my body. I could feel my exposed skin blistering, but I ushered the pain into a corner of my mind, righted myself again with a groan, and continued my insane dash. Each blessed lightening strike revealed more and more distance between me and that cursed room he’d kept me in.

Noticing darkness about me losing deepness, I glanced over a shoulder and panicked. Someone was coming – driving slow along the road as if looking for something.

I threw myself onto the ground, praying not to be seen, not to die, not to be caught again. While I waited for the car to pass, rain continued to singe my skin. I wore dark clothing. My hair, an even deeper black now that it was wet, glistened like a beetle’s shell. My skin, though reddened because of the irritation of the rain, was still as pale as if I had never seen sunlight.

The two jaundiced orbs were nearly upon me before I turned my face from the road. The only skin I imagined could be seen would be the back of one ear and a tiny bit right above my collar where my hair parted across my neck. I was a good eighty feet from the pavement and behind a small rise of rock with one of my ears pressed to the sticky sand, but if Ted was in that car – if he had braved the rain to get into that car…

My mind descended into despair. His eyes were accustomed to hunting in the dark. He would see or smell me despite the rain and he might have found a rain suit.

I squelched a rise of panic that made me want to risk being seen by jumping up. Instead, I squeezed my eyes closed, clinched a fist to my lips and another into the sand. While an eternity stretched I strained my ears, hoping to filter out the rainy beats to know if the car stopped. I stilled my mind with a hope that the car held a bent octogenarian and her scruffy calico going to the city for some Pad Thai instead of the monster who I had naively followed from home long ago.

How many years had it been? Twenty-five? Forty? Too long by any count but not long enough for me to forget where I came from and where I needed to return. Had my family given up on finding me?

The headlights continued past and towards the city, but it still took several painful minutes to unclench enough that I could lift my head and regain my feet. I knew his crew was in the city, and by now they would probably know what I’d done. Soon they’d be screaming by in their junker car, but they wouldn’t risk their lives by getting out in the rain – not even for him.

I stood beside a thorny mesquite, the painful rain still falling and scorching my skin. Shielding my face with a flattened hand, I drew a long breath, just to remind myself that I was alive. Tilting my head, I took in another before I stumbled into a run. The ocean had to be at least three hundred or more miles away, but I felt it calling, could almost smell it.

Design: Sermon Title

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 12:44:00 +0000

Had fun with the title slide design this week - here's a progression... the glasses imagery, although nice and clean just didn't work thematically with the key passage which is about Jesus telling them to wait for the Holy Spirit and then they'll be sent into all the world - so I started thinking road trip, goals, etc and with the helpful input of the Church Creatives FB Group I was rolling towards something better.

Curse of Royalty Series is available now!

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 21:07:00 +0000

Curse of Royalty 4 Volume Series

Read them now! All four volumes are available at Smashwords at a discount!

Or get them at Barnes & Noble or Amazon or request them with Overdrive.

And just for you sweet people who visit my blog - discount codes!

Drayden's Queen, Vol 1, FREE on Smashwords. No code needed.

Abandoned Queen, Vol 2, discounted 75% on Smashwords. Enter code: ED27P

Foolish Queen, Vol 3, discounted 50% on Smahswords. Enter code: BG78W

Cursed Queen, Vol 4, discounted 25% on Smashwords. Enter code: RN63N

Social Promo Vid: #PickleOnVaca

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Sat, 29 May 2021 00:42:00 +0000

Got to do a fun video today - check it out.

Just a few phone video clips to work with - the children's minister had some fun music and we had a title template that worked - might should have shortened that bit... anyway - was fun. Our new AVL guy should be showing up soon so I won't get to do as many videos like this. And he'll probably take over creating the bumpers :)

Baby dedication photo edits

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Sat, 15 May 2021 00:44:00 +0000

Each year I have the privilege of making HD slides out of photos that parents send in for the Parent/Child dedication. I extended a lot of backgrounds this year but this one was one of the most challenging. Thankfully, this year, I didn't have to add any elbows or shoulders.

This is the original

And here's the finished slide - painted in the bench end and some bushes/grass
Probably should have done something about the overexposure on her skin - it was a bright day
but it turned out cute.

Curse of Royatly Series Book Covers

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Tue, 11 May 2021 11:21:00 +0000

Help me decide on the omnibus cover - this one or the following one? And would one of those work better for volume 4?

Omnibus cover option 1

Omnibus Cover option 2

These are the volume covers:

Book 1 Cover Redesign

Book 2 Cover

Book 3 Cover

Book 4 Cover -
Should I nix this surprised expression for something a bit more subtle?
Which ever image doesn't end up on the omnibus?

Sermon Bumper: Meaning of Life

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Mon, 10 May 2021 23:17:00 +0000

Funny Pickles - camp character

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Fri, 07 May 2021 00:38:00 +0000

Had a blast digitizing this character that our children's minister drew for me. I changed a few things but not much - he's got skills LOL

Writing: Book Progress, Cover Mockups & Free Teaser

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 23:00:00 +0000

Yep - we're getting close. Just wrote the last sentence of my epilogue and now I'm on to formatting.

Several people have asked when the next installment of Curse of Royalty. now I'm so close that I can start planning the release. I'm about to break out the chocolate cake and fireworks. Can't wait to shove this thing out of the nest but I don't want it to be half baked either. Once it's out there, it's out there forever.

Thoughts on these cover mockups? Are they eye-catching? Legible? I'll re-cover the first one and then choose one of these or something that feels like one of these for the physical book that, unless it turns out to be 400+ pages, will have all three volumes included.

And brain storm with me? I'm struggling to solidify titles for the next two installments -

Series Title: Curse of Royalty

Book 1: Drayden's Queen [pretty much set in stone]

Book 2: Abandoned Queen ? Nine Years a Queen ?

Book 3: Cursed Queen ?

Other title possibilities:

First Boy

Last Breath

Stone of Drayden

Possessor of the Stone

Alone

Dead Queen

Crown Prince

The Stone

Hidden/Hiding Prince

Abandoned Queen

Blind Queen

Volatile Queen

Servant Prince

The Attendant

I hope each of you will forgive me for the delay. I didn't want to lose any readers with the semi-cliffhanger ending of book 2 by it being another year before I could release book 3.

In the meantime - here's the new opening scene from the second book :)

From a bare hill in southern Drayden, Queen Peydra surveyed a smudged landscape that seemed to smolder to the horizon. Smoke still snaked skyward from blackened trees. Their stripped trunks jutting awkwardly from barren ground like spears marking a battlefield. A carrion bird circled near the foot of Raven’s Mountain as villagers combed through what was left of their homes and shops. Unbelieving, Peydra turned from the scene. It seemed that wind from the grasslands had blown the wildfire into the Scorpion Desert whose dunes and sandstone caves shimmered on the far western horizon.

From the corner of an eye, she noticed a concerned look on Anthony’s face while he too took in the extensive destruction. Together, they watched Commander Gaius and the troops move among the people, helping to keep peace, bury victims, making plans to rebuild while the palace administrator, Justus, organized and provided for immediate needs from stores of things he had managed to gather when the queen insisted they leave the palace earlier that week.

In the nine years since she had lost her mother and shouldered the weight of the crown, Draye marauders had set several fires as they raided villages along the southern border of Drayden, but none of those fires had caused such widespread damage as what she found before her that afternoon. She gripped a fistful of fabric at her side. It seemed despite the hundreds of soldiers Commander Gaius commissioned to patrol and protect along Drayden’s border with Hillat, the villagers still suffered from periodic raids.

After the hurried journey, Peydra had been surprised to find the Hillatite emissary already moving among rubble, his copper hair a vibrant spot of color in the darkened landscape. The man disengaged himself to approach as soon as he noticed her. While he spoke plainly with her about King Tal’s concerns, she held her tongue. He relayed the king’s offer to send laborers to help rebuild and a profuse apology that they had been unable to route the villains before they set the fire.

“I understand. I’m sure your army has been preoccupied with the peasant revolts near the coast. Have those eased any since we last spoke?”

“We are making progress, but it may take another six months to clear everything up and even then, we still find small pockets of people who don’t know that the revolt is over.” He scratched behind his ear leaving a smudge of black on his neck. “King Tal has mentioned that he’s also willing to send some men to clean out the raider dens and camps like we did three years ago.”

Peydra looked past the man. Was there truly anything that could have prevented the blackened structures, the charred carcasses, the ruined winter food stores? The raiders must have also been hungry after the severe regional drought of the last year. She saw evidence of a merciful weather change, but it felt like too little. “Please thank him for me, but I believe our marauders will have moved camp after this disaster and won’t be as easy to find. Besides, it might be time for us to consider a different course of action.”

The emissary pulled at his chin whiskers in a thoughtful way but didn’t offer another comment so she extended her hand. “Thank you for coming.”

He kissed her ring and went back to what he had been doing among the villagers.

Wind shifted, bringing unpleasant smells and drifting ash. She lifted a sachet to her nostrils while her eyes followed a small child who pushed through a pile of charcoal at the corner of what must have been a home. The child sneezed, wiped his nose with the back of a wrist to leave a prominent mark. Not two seconds later, the child pulled something from the pile, and after examining it, hugged it close.

Can't wait to share the rest of the story with you!

Sermon Video Bumper: Miracles & Teachings of Christ

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 01:30:00 +0000

Current bumper [spring 2021] - it's not quite what I planned but Pastor was ok with it. Would've loved to have found some BRoll that could follow a person walking into frame and then away from the camera that would echo the series graphic a bit more, but this turned out ok. Found copyright free video stock and it worked well enough and then found some copyright free audio too.

Video Collages

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 23:54:00 +0000

In addition to the sermon bumpers, I've gotten to do several video collages lately. The ones that are the best are usually the ones when I'm not the only one capturing video on the front end and when I have an idea of what the end product needs to be. Yep, this pants-er will plans videos but not when writing fiction - go figure.

Did a baptism video last year shortly after our media director moved to a new job. Turned out pretty good - would've been better had we been able to figure out how to turn on the lights at the beginning instead of right at the end LOL - yeah - live and learn or you get smurfs, right?

And then I did this one earlier this week. I wasn't there to capture video so we only had one camera man and it was not communicated to him that Pastor wanted to include a clip of each verbal testimony during the baptism so none of that got captured *shrug* It happens. But the camera man did an edit cut I was thankful Pastor was ok with us using in service [I flat out did not have time to work on it last week] and then for us to post online I created a version that didn't have that super cool copyrighted song for the track - here it is:

Really enjoyed working on these - love learning new stuff and love working with video, though I don't often have time to explore that during the work week.

Design: True nature of design

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 00:19:00 +0000

So... the boss sent copy and asked for a promo slide. This design today reminded me of doing design for my Dad - he only knows what he doesn't want when he sees what I've done and I just have to laugh, make the changes and go on. So glad my Dad is like that - it's made me take change requests in stride - not take the comments as personal attacks but as statements of preference and the back and forth nearly always results in a better overall design. This is the true nature of the beast, folks.

I took a risk and used a modern design fad for the design. I handn't refined it, but wanted to be sure I was moving in the right direction before spending more time on it.

After it, he's says, "I like it, but could we include more of the choir too?" [Translation: That's not what I want; let's do something else.]

Me: Sure

After this second proof...

Him: This is nice but, can you put men in there?

Me: um, ok - more men. Gotcha.

After seeing this next one...

Him: This is good and maybe we could use it somewhere else, but I liked the first photo - can you just add more people? Are you annoyed yet?

Me: *chortle* um... I'll come at this in a different direction [the photo was too small to stretch to the other side of the graphic and the perspective was such that adding a different photo of the choir behind her... well, I didn't have one of those I could use, so time to rig it.]

Me: Bam! More people. [*closes eyes* please don't notice the text changes]

Him: Love it - can you photoshop in our regular pianist LOL

Me: Probably - uh, wait, are you serious?

Sermon Bumper Video: Vision

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 00:21:00 +0000

Got to play with a Final Cut template to do a quick sermon bumper with our vision info. I'm showing my ignorance of the program - it's not really refined this time, but Pastor liked it. I think I enjoyed editing the audio almost as much as working with the graphics.

Sermon Bumper Video: Return Series

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 00:36:00 +0000

Got to learn something new - Played around with making 2D photos look dimensional. Was super fun and turned out great.

Did the animation in AfterEffects and added the music in Premiere Pro. I usually work in Final Cut Pro but am trying to stretch myself some LOL

Photo Manipulation/Restoration

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 00:05:00 +0000

Got to do some photo edit and general restoration this week. Here are some before/afters. Even though I've been doing these sorts of things for years, I find that I still have lots to learn.

Design: Mpact Kids Wall Mural Painting Design

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 00:44:00 +0000

Since everything else is getting a face lift, we're considering doing something to the main Mpact Kid's worship area. We'd probably project the text and logo onto the wall and use tape for our lines.

Books of the Bible design is a knock off of WildEyesSigns design.

Here's a general mockup of what we're thinking:

Painting: Ducks and Turtles

noreply@blogger.com (JFlah) — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 00:32:00 +0000

More stuff for the renovation for our Preschool area.

Got to paint - love these kinds of projects.